Obesity Linked to Reduced Brain Plasticity

Severely overweight people are less likely to be able to re-wire their brains and find new neural pathways, according to a new study.

The study is published in the journal Brain Sciences.It has significant implications for people recovering from a brain injury or stroke.

Obesity is based on body mass index (BMI). It calculates the ratio between height and weight to determine body fat of a person. An adult who has a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight. A person with a BMI above 29.9 is considered to be obese.

‘This is the first study to link obesity with reduced brain plasticity. Overweight people are less likely to be able to re-wire their brains, and the study has significant implications for people recovering from a stroke or brain injury.’

Obesity has been linked to several adverse health effects, including a higher risk of heart disease, metabolic disorders and dementia.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 650 million people are obese. This has serious health consequences and financial burden for global health systems.

The study consisted of 15 obese people between 18 and 60 years. They were compared with a control group that consisted of 15 healthy individuals.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to apply repeated pulses of electrical stimulation on the brain. The control group showed significant neural activity in response to stimulation. This suggests a normal brain plasticity response.

Obese people showed a minimal response, which suggested the brains capacity to change has been impaired.

This is the first study to link obesity with reduced brain plasticity.

"For the first time, we found that obesity was associated with impaired brain function, adding further support for the need to address the obesity epidemic," Dr. Hordacre says.

Globally, around 15 million people suffer from strokes every year, and one-third of them die.

"These new findings suggest that losing weight is particularly important for healthy brain ageing or for recovery in people who suffer strokes or brain injuries, where learning is fundamental for recovery,"Dr. Hordacre says.



Source: Medindia